The trailer for Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull was released this week.
The release of a film’s trailer is not normally news at Time Out towers.
It is, after all, just a marketing stunt to keep the wheel’s of publicity churning.
But this is different. There is a feeling of occasion about watching the trailer.
Not just because it signals the return of the all-time coolest cinema character. Ever. (Sorry Han Solo fans)
It is exciting because…well, watch for yourself
If that does not get you twitching with excitement then you are not one of the millions of fans who will be humming the theme tune for the next week.
Watching Indy back in action has moved Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull to the top of my must-see films list.
Take another look at the trailer again and watch out for these ten moments.
Moments that suggest this could become an instant classic.
- 12 seconds: The Paramount logo fades away to reveal a mountain behind filling exactly the same space. Nothing special there. Until you remember that the three previous Indy movies start in exactly the same way. It is a running joke for Steven Spielberg (director) and George Lucas (producer). This is a sign that the film will at least try and live up to its predecessors.
- 23 seconds: A plane flies across a map background. Another repeated shot from previous Indy adventures. It also tells us that this will be another globetrotting adventure.
- 40 seconds: It only takes up a tiny part of the frame, but there is no mistaking it - that is Indiana Jones’s iconic hat on the floor. This is when you will really start getting excited. Don’t feel bad about that. Unless you click this link and try and buy the Indiana Jones hat online.
- 48 seconds: The music begins. Only the first few bars, and it is a slightly different tempo to how I remember it. But there is no denying that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end when I first heard this.
- 55 seconds: We haven’t seen him yet. But there is the silhouette of the titular star. Looking lithe as well. No need to worry about the 65-year-old Harrison Ford squeezing into leather trousers for the action sequences…
- 1 minute and 1 second: …but the production team have at least recognised that this was a major concern for fans and dealt with it humourously. Beating up bad guys is ‘not as easy as it used to be’ says Indy as he, no doubt, grabs a breather in between bouts. A less adventurous actor might have wanted to appear in Indiana Jones and The Nice Sit Down or Indiana Jones and A Lovely Armchair but there is no question that this film is going to be action-packed.
- 1 minute and 2 seconds: The wonderful theme tune really kicks off now. ‘Du du duh der, da da daah‘ Has there ever been better music in a film? Perhaps, but if there was it was also composed by John Williams.
- 1 minute and 4 seconds: What better way to punctuate that moment than seeing and hearing the first crack of Indy’s whip?Brilliant film-making and brilliant editing. That three second loop of film alone is going to sell an awful lot of popcorn this summer.
- 1 minute and 11 seconds: A wisecrack almost spoken direct to camera. This might be slightly worrying the first time you see it. Terrible images of a Jar Jar Binks-style comic character spring to the imagination. But, think back to the original Indiana Jones trilogy and you will recall that the wisecracking is nothing new. Lets just hope they don’t overdo it.
- 1 minute and 25 seconds: The most exciting revelation of all. Blink and you’ll miss it, but is there a box in the background with the word ‘Roswell’ printed on it? Is Indiana Jones going to go in search of an alien artefact or is this just a very clever red herring thrown in by Mr Spielberg?
Only time will tell of course.
The biggest note of caution is what seems to be a worrying level of computer generated imagery (See 1 minute and 31 seconds for most obvious example). The whole charm of the Indy series was that they offered an alternative to the sci-fi extremes of the Star Wars world. You could almost imagine, in an extreme volcanic rollercoaster sort of way, any of the action really taking place. Too much CGI andwe could end up with another Mummy Returns. A hi-tech Indiana Jones rip-off.
So here’s hoping that that the film lives up to the hype.
Time Out will be braving the booby traps to bring you the first review when the film releases in the UAE.


Indiana Jones!
one of my most favourite trilogies, can’t wait to see it on the big screen, lovely stuff!
Stuart
Comment by Stuart — Wednesday, 20 February, 2008 @ 12:20